A delivery fan for receiving signatures from a printing press is well known. Typically, the delivery fan is positioned between a folder and a press delivery conveyor. The delivery fan includes a plurality of fan blades forming pockets for receiving a signature from the folder while the delivery fan rotates about its longitudinal central axis. The signatures in the fan pockets are removed from the fan pockets by a stripper and are transferred onto the delivery conveyor. The signatures are overlapped in a uniform stream on the delivery conveyor referred to as a shingled stream. The delivery conveyor then transports the overlapped signatures to a receiving station.
One problem associated with a conventional delivery fan is misalignment of a signature in a fan pocket. This results in misalignment of the signatures on the delivery conveyor when the signature is transferred from the fan pocket onto the delivery conveyor. Side guides disposed adjacent the delivery fan are used to prevent misalignment of the signature in the fan pocket. These side guides require manual setting and adjusting to accommodate different width signatures. This results in relative long makeready.
Another problem associated with a conventional delivery fan is buckling of the signature in the fan pocket when the signature is transferred from the folder into the fan pocket. The signature is moving at high speed. When the moving signature hits a part of the delivery fan and abruptly stops, buckling of the signature can occur. Buckling of the signature in the fan pocket may result in physical damage to the signature. Furthermore, if a buckled signature is transferred onto the delivery conveyor, then this signature would neither uniformly align with properly aligned signatures nor correctly overlap with its adjacent signatures.